Means for synchronously operating musical instruments.



V s. s; WATERS. 'MEANQPOB BYNOHRONOUSLY OPERATING MUSICAL INSTRUMBM'S.

APPLICATION IILED IAY 13, 1.910.

Patented Aug. 29,

UNITED sTA rps TENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL :3. WATERS, OF WASHINGTON, DISI'RYCT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO A-EOLIALN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y A CORPURATIQN OF CQNNECTICUT.

MEANS FOR SYNCHR ONOUSLY OPERATING MUSICAL IfiSTRUMENTSx To all whom ime y concern:

Be itli'nown that I, SAMUEL-S. FYAI'ERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at )Vashington, in the District of Columbia,

hiire invented new and'useful Improvements in Means for Synchronously Operating Mir. sicalinstruments, which the follow ng is a spccificatirm.

The primeohject of my invention is the synchronous bporation of musical msiru nicnts, and particularly musical instruments of the automatic type. Ithas reference further tothat-particular type of automatic musical instruments in which use is made of a moving rechrd of some form which controls the operation of the instrument, It is particularly. applied to a synchronous operation ofan instrument which is controlled by the movement of a record sheet provided with controlling formations in its body, in

connection with another musical instrument.

The instruments which I show in this connection are a piano controlled by a perforated music sheet, and a phono raph of a disk record type. With all ofthis in View, however, it. will be evident upon an understanding of my invention that it may be liked in part or as a whole in connection with musical instruments of other types or in greater number, and that, its use is not restricted to* the particular instruments or types oi instruments disclosed. i n-the accomplishment of my invention I make use of a geared connection between the record of one instrument and the driving means for the record of the other instrument. The driving means for the other instrument may be any suitable motor, and'in this instance I have'shown a pneumatic motor of a commonly used type. I 'use a geared connection to operate the-valves of this motor which directly determine its period of rotation. In effect the record of one instrument is geared directly to the record of the other instrument. and moves the same, forall of the fact that the motor is interposed in that. connection. It may be that under certain circumstances I shall find itconvenient, as for instance when the load of driving the record is light, to omit the motor entirely and drive directly by the geared connection.

My invention will be more clearly understood, and its advantages fully appreciated from the following description, taken in Specificiitton 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

-6-rgplicatlon m May 13, 191of Serial No. 561,200.

connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a die rammatic lay out of the entire apparatus 0 my invention, Fig. 2 a transverse section of the pneumatic motor which I employ in this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a disassembled sectional elevation of a record supporting element especially designed for use directly geared to-angther record. Q

Referring to the drawings, 10 represents the perforated sheet moving mechanism of an automatic'piano of the now common type, and 11 is the perforated'sheeti associated with this.mechanism. i 12 is'a. phonograph of the disk type which it is desired to operate synchronously with 1 I make use of a pneumatic motor 13 of the slide valve type as shown more clearly in" Fig. 2in section, and control the slide valves 14 of this motor by a 'eared connection with the record sheet, 11 o the piano. This connection is in the form of the shaft 15 con nected to a air of gears 16 driven by the perforated s eet 11. Under some-circumstances these gears 16-may be operated bv frictional contact with the sheet "1 1, but I prefer to provide the sheet 11 on one or both sides as shown with perforations l7, and the gears 16 with projecting Ipins 18 to' engage in the perforations 17. y this means the shaft 15 is driven positively at a speed directly proportional to the 'Ilinear speed of the perforated sheet 11. 'I he valves of the motor 13 urethus correspondingly "moved, andlthe motor shaft 19 which drives the phonograph 12 is,operated likewise at n' speed exactly proportionate to the speed of the record sheet 11.. The-two records are thus compelled to operate insynchronisni, an F provided with suitable begin indications. will start in their operation together.

and will operate'synchrmously throughout the ref. ition of any particular selection.

The arrangement just described is-pnrticularly suited for the driving of disk 'phono graphs I have provided in combination? with the a paratus already described meanfl? whereby pii type maybe also used if desired, This means consists of the construction of that onograph records of the cylinder 1 portion of shaft carrying the gears 16 as a drum 20 to carry a cylindrical record 21. The portion 20 is removably jointed at 22 to the shaft 15, and the left hand gear 16 is made removable therefrom, the gear being provided with astud 23 adapted to fit snugly into a' correspondingly shaped socket 24 in the drum Z0. On its opposite side the gear is provided with a pointed pintle 25 adapted to be held inthe pointed yieldin bearing block 26, as shown in Fig. 1. ith this understanding it is apparent that the drum 20 may be bodily removed, and the left hand ear 16 removed from itin turn, as shown in F ig. 3, and -c lindrical records placed aside or removed tom the drum, As shown the drum is located on outside of the reader or tracker board 27 or the piano and between the reader or tracker board and ,one of the sheet rolls 28. On'1he other side-of the reader or tracker board oppositethe drum and parallel thereto, I mount a' screw shaft '29 for moving a reproducing member 30 over the cylindrical record. The shaft 29 is geared to shaft 15 by a chain 31 or other suitable means. The reproducing member 30 is provided with a suitable horn, which I have shown supported by, an arm 32 which may be attached to a fixed part of the.instrument. With this addition, any cylindrical record can be played in synchronism I sheet 11.

with the piano as controlled by, the record The load on a phonograph is usually light, and the perforated sheets of automatic instruments are usually made of heavy pa er. It is, therefore, very practicable to rive a phonograph directly from the record.

The efliciency'of this apparatus is made greater by reason of the fact that the meshing of the gears 16 with the perforations in the sheet 11 serves to keep that sheet in the proper position with respect to the reader or tracker board, and renders adjustment of the record sheet'so as to aline the holes in the reader with the perforations in the sheet unnecessary.

What I claim is 1. In combination two musical instruments, a movable record for one, a member portional thereto,'and a record for the other musical instrument caused by said member to move at a rate of speed proportional at all times to the speed of said first. named record.

2. In combination two self-playing musi' cal instruments, a record for one provided with music controlling formations, a mumber-moved by said record at a rate of speed proportional thereto, and a record for the other instrument caused by said member to moveat a rate of speed proportional at all times to the speed of said first named record.

3. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a movable record for one provided with music controlling formal ions, additional formations in said record, a member cared-with said additional formations, an a record for the other instrument caused to move by said member.

4. In combination two self playing must cal instruments, a movable perforated record sheet for one of said instruments, flddl'. tional perforations in said record sheet, a member geared with said additional perforations, and a record for the other instrument moved by said member.

5. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a record sheet for one of them provided with music controlling perforations, additional rforations in said sheet, a membergeared with said sheet by pins projecting into said additional perfo rations, and a record for the other instrument caused to move by the said member.

6. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a record for one of said instrument-s provided with music controllin formations, additional formations on said reoord,'a gear in mesh with said additional formations, and a record for the other of said instruments whose movement is con trolled by said gear.

I. 'In combination two self-playing musi cab instruments, a movable record for one of them,\a member moved by ,said record at a rate of speed. proportional thereto, a record for the other instrpment, a motor for driving the same, and means whereby said motor is controlled bysaid member.

8. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a-movable record for one of them a member moved by said record at a rate of speed proportional thereto, a record for the other of said instruments, :1 fluid pressure motor fdr driving the same, and valves for the motordriven by said member.

9. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a movable record for. one of them, a record for the other of them, a iluid pressure motor for driving the same, and

valves for said motor driven directly by said first named record.

10. In combination two self-playing musical instruments, a movable record for one of. them, a movable record for the other of them, and mechanical means moved directly by said first named record which determines the speed of the second record.

11. In combination two self-plying musical instruments. a movable record for one of them, a member moved by said record at. a rate of speed proportional thereto. and a. record for the other of said instruments sup ported on said member.

.12. In combination two'self-playing musical instruments, one of which is 'n'nvidod with a record supporting member, a record supporting member and a record for the other of said instruments, and a geared con nection between the-record of one of said instruments and the record supporting member of the other instrument,- said connection being independent of' the record supporting member of the one instrument.

13. In Combination two self-playing musical instruments, one of which is provided with a record supporting member, a record supporting member and a record sheet for the other of said instruments, said record sheet being provided with music controlling formations, additional formations in said record sheet, and a mechanical connection between said additional formations and said record supporting member of the other instrument first named.

14. In combination a selilaying iano and a phonograph, a removab e recor supporting member for the phonograph, bearrugs therefor which normally axially sup-. port the same, a record for. the piano, and a mechanical connection between said piano record and said record supporting membe of the phonograph.

15. In combination two selflaying musical instruments having recor means for movin the record for one 01 them, a mem ber ad acent the path of movement of said record adapted to b:- engsgcd by said record and moved by the some, and record support ing means for the other musical instrument connected to be caused to move by said member.

16. In combination two sel-playing musical instruments each having its own rewrd, means for moving therecord for one of said instruments, a record bearing member of another musical instrument, adjacent to the path of movement of said record or the first named musical instrument, and adapted to be engaged by the same and moved at a rate oi-spee bearing a fixed ratio thereto.

17. In combination,twoself-playing musical instruments, a removable record supporting member forone of these two instru ments, bearings for this member, which bearings normally support it axially, a record associated with the other one of said two self-playing musical instruments, a me chanical connection between the record of the last-mentioned self-playing musical 1nstrument and the above-mentioned record support member of the other musical instrument. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- SAMUEL S. WATERS.

Witnesses:

J. P. DARBOX,

I'IORAOE G. Snrrz. 

